Episode 113: Dream in the game becomes reality

28. New Wind (5)

Magic Century February 20, 2021.

Two days have passed since the royal party, where the fall of the 2nd prince faction and the presence of the newly ascendant crown prince faction could be felt.

Three days from now is the day when the goddess Sepia selects a saint, so I became more worried day by day, but today was a happy day, so I decided to shake off my worries for a while.

Today is my birthday.

The long days of turning 20 are over and I am now 21 years old.

"congratulations. "Today is your birthday, right?"

"Yes, it is."

However, on her birthday, which should have been spent happily with her family, for some reason she went to the royal castle and came face to face with the crown prince.

"You got the timing right."

"It's the best birthday present."

The reason is because it was the day when new titles were given to me and Arcia.

The crown prince presided over the consecration and victory ceremony on behalf of the king, who had completely lost his mind on state affairs, and my name was called first in the 'Glory Hall' where numerous nobles lined up.

Of course.

There was no one who would be called in front of me, who would become the duke.

Since it was an official event that was broadcast in real time throughout the kingdom, we ended the discussion briefly and carried out our schedule in a solemn atmosphere befitting the event.

"We grant the title of Duke to the Marquis of Adrian Lawrence, and to distinguish him from Viscount Lawrence, we add the last name 'L' and call him Duke Adrian L. Laurence."

The king then handed me a new family flag.

My family flag is engraved with the image of a black eagle taking flight, imitating the appearance of a black man.

-Flutter!

However, the black eagle flag handed to the crown prince had a silver crown added to it, which did not exist before.

If the flag has a gold crown engraved on it, it means the royal family and the imperial family, and if it has a silver crown engraved on it, it means the ducal family.

Because the duke was treated close to royalty, he was given the title "Your Highness," and if the king was young or lacking in ability, he could serve as regent and rule the country.

"In addition, I grant the former Marquis of Hammington to the existing territory, and hope that he will become a proper leader who cares for the people of the territory."

"I am devastated."

I held the family flag like a spear and saluted the crown prince.

Then I turned around and looked down at the bottom of the podium, and all the nobles from all over the country looked up at me and applauded.

As a result, I became the current king's maternal family and the owner of the dukedom, following the Heins family, also known as the real owners of the Royal Magic Tower.

As I came down from the stage holding the family flag, Arcia's name was called this time.

"I bestow the title of marquis to Count Arsia Klein, and grant the former County of Trinity to the existing territory. I hope that he will become a proper leader who cares for the people of the territory."

Then she turned around holding the family flag embroidered with thorns and a shield.

-Clap clap clap!

The nobles' applause rang out, and I could tell how good her image was among the nobles by the loud sound that seemed more enthusiastic than mine.

But there is no such thing as jealousy.

The reason it has a bad image among nobles in the first place is because I caused it to be that way.

I have been swayed by my surroundings since I was young, but the moment I acquired the power of Archduke Lucas, I decided to become a person of power who leads others rather than being swayed by others.

If I were to become a duke, I could say that I achieved that goal... … .

After becoming a duke, it was inevitable that a higher position would appear before my eyes.

'They say there is no end to human greed, and it's true.'

It's amazing how insatiable you are.

But on the other hand, it is also a natural thing to say.

I am the successor of Archduke Lucas.

Even if I receive the kingdom's protection if my identity is revealed, there is nothing I can do against the Brigham Empire, which will attack me with foam at the mouth.

Therefore, in order to live proudly as the successor to Archduke Lucas, one must not be satisfied with being just a duke of the kingdom.

I organized my future goals.

First of all, it would be necessary to become a 'grand duke' beyond a duke and gain unlimited self-defense rights.

In addition, we must steadily raise the national power of this country and bring it to the level of the Croesian Empire.

Grand Duke of the Empire.

It may seem like an absurd plan, but I had the knowledge and foundation to put it into practice.

'As there is so much to do, it is easier to be moderately difficult and not bother me than to hang out closely with nobles.'

Louis Fairmont, who was taken to the Brigham Empire, can be dragged out for at most 2 to 3 years.

Originally, it was thought that it would be possible to wait at least a dozen years, but it is said that there are already suspicions that it may be a fake.

Because of this, I could never feel relieved.

'The Archduke is good and the country's development is good, but the most important thing to do is to fix the legacy of Archduke Lucas.'

At my current pace, I will likely reach level 250 for Circle 8 in 6 weeks.

It's not that long, but is it because I live a very busy life?

Even though it was only a month and a half, it didn't feel that close.

"It's my birthday and I received a gift, so why not shake off my worries?"

While I was alone with my thoughts, Arcia slowly tilted her upper body and spoke to me in a whisper.

Her words woke me up.

After getting out of the swamp of worry, I immediately smiled.

"thank you. "I will."

I'm probably the only one who has this much trouble even as a duke.

I once again felt fortunate to have Arcia.

Perhaps due to her personality, she doesn't express many emotions on her face, but I am often amazed by her thoughts and attention to detail.

Arcia is an artificially created homunculus.

But to me, it only seemed human.

The person with whom I communicate best.

Thanks to her, I cleared my mind and regained my composure.

"Then let's conclude the ceremony with this. Noblesse Oblige, I hope you all become honorable leaders."

And so the victory ceremony for me and Arsia ended.

* * *

Is it because the Crown Prince was the one who encouraged the rise of the Second Prince faction in the first place?

Even though it ended in a rebellion, the punishment given to the two princes who lost the battle for the throne was lighter than expected.

Of course, the heads of each family that followed the second prince were all executed, but they did not cause harm to their families through guilt by association, and some were able to enjoy the status of lords.

Instead, all of the noble families belonging to the Second Prince faction had their titles downgraded by two levels, and the Anaheim family, which had been a duke, became a count, the count became a baron, and the viscounts and barons all had their titles confiscated.

"Why! Why! Why is my family like this?"

And it was no different for Margrave Raven, Margrave Caskvel, and Count Brooks, who were killed by Adrian.

This time, those who joined hands and were demoted to baron had to live in fear every day.

The reason was because he was worried about the harm done to Adrian, the kingdom's rising power.

What they have in common is that they are linked by the titles of Adrian and Marshal.

It was such a huge burden and it couldn't help but come across as a feeling of fear.

"Brother. I-I… … ."

"Isabella!"

"yes."

"It wasn't your fault! If you don't break the chains of resentment, everyone will die! "That crazy guy is someone who can get away with it!"

There was only one choice they could make.

It means giving up your liver and gallbladder and somehow receiving forgiveness no matter how humiliatingly you have to crawl on the floor.

Although he went from a high-ranking noble family to becoming a baron on the border in an instant, he is still a lord.

This means that although it is difficult to consume as before, there is no major problem in living comfortably.

Therefore, they tried very hard not to let go of the pie that the Crown Prince had generously left for them.

Even if it meant selling his brother and dead parents.

"Well, I don't want to die."

"You won't die. "Your friends who were taken before also escaped death."

Believing that she was from the Caskvel Margrave family, Isabella played a reckless role during her time at the Academy, only to incur Adrian's grudge. She bit her lip as she looked at her brother, who was glaring at her with a pale face.

He was always a kind and kind person, but when his father died and he was demoted in rank, he became a completely different person.

Isabella trembled as she recalled the four viscounts who fell as soon as Adrian received the title of marquis and declared a territorial war.

"But it's as good as dead!"

"How dare you raise your voice because you did something good!"

The children and daughters of the four fallen vassals were also the people who tormented Adrian along with him.

They were captured by Adrian after losing the Territory War, and it is said that both men and women were forced to work in the mines.

For those who were nobles, it was like a death sentence.

It is said that Yeongsik, Viscount Parma, made an extreme choice and was treated with magic by Adrian, who was dispatched in person. He was held jointly responsible and all four of his friends were taken to a mine assigned to violent criminals.

I can't survive even a single day.

Isabella strongly shook her head and showed her refusal.

"Because of you, my father was decapitated during the chaos without even being able to stand in court! "Isn't that true of me!?"

In the end, Isabella shed tears like chicken shit.

She looked truly pitiful and pitiful, but considering that some people committed suicide and others became disabled because of her during her time at the academy, there was no room for sympathy.

In the end, she was dragged in front of Adrian along with her friend Philo, a British member of the 'former Earl Brooks, current Baron Brooks', by her family who wanted to preserve a small amount of power.

"Is this another unexpected birthday present?"

One of the reasons why Adrian was bullied during his time at the academy.

That was his very handsome appearance.

Although he has a youthful face that does not suit the title of duke, he is one of the famous handsome men in the kingdom.

Adrian, with his trademark flowing silver hair and bright blue eyes, had received the attention of many female classmates since his academy days, and Isabella also liked his intellectual aura.

However, she had a tendency to like to distort her handsome face, and as a result, an irreversible relationship was created.

Despite the situation, what Isabella felt at this moment was that Adrian was really handsome.

Her position would have been different if she had shown complete affection instead of distorted attention.

"Well, since your family has fallen and you have given me such a happy gift, I will not harm you."

"thank you. majesty."

The heads of the Caskbell and Brooks families, who brought Isabella and Philo in person, bowed their heads deeply at Adrian's generosity.

However, the meaning of not doing harm can be interpreted as saying that they were planning to do harm if this had not happened, so the sight of them selling their families and returning to their territory looked pale and disgusting.

Adrian said, looking at the two people kneeling in front of him.

"Well, power is good. "You even threaten your enemies like this right in front of your eyes?"

"Well, Your Highness. Please have mercy."

"You know how your friends are doing, right?"

At Adrian's question, the two people shook their heads and nodded.

"For now, let Philo do labor with those guys."

"majesty!"

Philo Brooks begged for forgiveness, but when Adrian snapped his fingers, a knight entered their study and dragged him away.

With Philo gone, only Adrian and Isabella were left in the deadly quiet study.

"You are the most special person among those who bullied me, what should I do?"

Isabella had to work as a beauty artist or something else to survive, but Adrian's eyes were so cold that she couldn't move.

Ten minutes to think carefully about her disposition.

Adrian snapped his fingers, saying he had a good idea.

"By the way, now that I think about it, Master Chester asked you to get a pet, right? "It doesn't necessarily have to be an animal, right?"